KIRKUS REVIEW

The London season promises more than husband-hunting for an accomplished
amateur sleuth.

Lucy Harrington and her lovely sister Anna are heading to London, where they
hope to meet more eligible bachelors than the charming village of Kurland St.
Mary can provide. Helpful as Lucy has been to Maj. Robert Kurland, who still
hasn’t quite recovered from the badly broken leg he acquired at Waterloo, he
doubts that she’ll find a man willing to tolerate her independent personality.
Much to his dismay, Kurland himself is summoned to London, where the prince regent
is awarding him a baronetcy for his heroism. Soon enough, he and Lucy are
involved in another mystery that suddenly blossoms at Almack’s Assembly Rooms,
a social club where the dowager Countess of Broughton—the grandmother of Lt.
Broughton, the army friend Kurland is staying with—drops dead after drinking
some orgeat. Broughton himself has been exhibiting symptoms of poisoning, and
his younger brother has been acting strangely. Lady Bentley has accused the
Broughton family of stealing some valuable rubies, and when she drowns in a
boating accident and Broughton is on the scene, the mystery turns even darker.
Broughton, who’s deeply interested in scientific research, deplores the herbal
recipes his grandmother concocted, one of which may well have been the source
of the poison that killed her and sickened him and his brother. Lucy and
Kurland team up to investigate the complicated crime while pursuing their
contentious relationship.

Lucy’s second case (Death Comes to the Village, 2013) is a pleasant
combination of Regency romance and mystery that evokes fond memories of
Georgette Heyer, even if it can’t match her charm or depth of characterization.

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.